


Starry Nights

by WhiskeysWorks



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: B.O.B is there too, Highschool AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-15 20:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18676927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskeysWorks/pseuds/WhiskeysWorks
Summary: Genji figured going to America was going to be a disaster. His father, sending him out to do some solo deals, not at all worried about sending any supervision other than a few of Genji’s personal guards.“It will help you become accustomed to the nature of our business and deals. Without your brother or I to put the work off on.” Shojiro had told him after calling the brothers into his office.Hanzo had given him the side eye as Genji blanched at the idea. It got worse when Shojiro told him where he would be going.





	Starry Nights

Genji figured going to America was going to be a disaster. His father, sending him out to do some solo deals, not at all worried about sending any supervision other than a few of Genji’s personal guards.

“It will help you become accustomed to the nature of our business and deals. Without your brother or I to put the work off on.” Shojiro had told him after calling the brothers into his office. 

Hanzo had given him the side eye as Genji blanched at the idea. It got worse when Shojiro told him where he would be going.

“New Mexico?! Seriously? There’s nothing here but sand and more fucking sand! He could have at least let me stay in California or New York, right? That seems like the places underhanded deals would be happening.” Genji complained, hand propping his chin up as he glared out the window at—go figure—more fucking desert. 

His guard stuck with him for the trip, Kazuo, sighed yet again.

“There is a gang here that supplies good weaponry at a good price. That, and substances we have yet to find anywhere outside of America.”

“Yeah, I know, I read the report, okay? I’m not some dumbass kid like you all seem to think I am.”

“Then perhaps the young master should begin acting like it.” Kazuo offered, eyes never leaving the road. Genji laughed, shaking his head. 

Just because he wasn’t perfect and obedient like Hanzo didn’t mean he was bad at what he did. Genji often thought he could do better than his brother, if he really felt like it. He just never really felt like it, left the dirty work to Hanzo and went out to have a good time instead. That was certainly something his Anija was terrible at. 

But this time around, he was taking it seriously. As much as he hated it, a small, ingrained part of Genji did crave some sort of approval from the clan, from his brother. He liked to impress people, especially those that acted like it was impossible. 

His father had been lenient, as always, and at least gotten Genji a nice place of his own to stay. There was nothing he could do about the town, however. If it could even be called a town. 

It sat precariously on the edge of “Deadlock Gorge”—Genji had rolled his eyes upon hearing the name—little more than a few shacks that could hardly pass for buildings, a crappy old diner, and a gas station that looked like it had been empty since the early 2000’s. There were a few more buildings further down the road that looked slightly better kept, but that was about it. 

Genji, thankfully, was staying further out from podunkville, closer to the city by ten minutes. Which got the drive down to thirty minutes just to get to the suburbs instead of forty. Ridiculous, but it was the best he could get. 

When they arrived at the place Shojiro had bought, Genji hopped out of the car and immediately winced at the heat. He had been hoping for a tan, but this just felt like sunburn to him.

“Damn, the one thing I was hoping would be halfway decent…” Genji muttered, adjusting his sunglasses and putting his hands in his pockets. 

He went to the cozy looking house—nothing too spectacular, but it would have to do. The lawn actually had some grass and shrubs, but it looked out of place when everything else around it was tan, red, and brown. Genji sighed, placing his hand on the scan-lock beside the door. He was already starting to sweat, which was a huge no. 

The inside of the house was quaint; lavish furniture, spacious for a cottage, and blessed air conditioning. The pool out back was a nice touch, and the view of the mountains was alright. Genji went to hook his phone up to the wifi after getting bored of looking around. 

Kazuo brought Genji’s suitcase in, checking the area out.

“Alright, you got this house to yourself. I’m in the next one over. Don’t do anything stupid, I’ll check in again once I’m settled.” He shrugged.

“I highly, highly doubt anyone is going to cause us trouble here. I’ll just text you if I need anything.” Genji called, waving a dismissive hand as he looked on his phone for places to go clubbing. 

Kazuo bowed slightly, Genji going to the couch, not looking up from the device in his hands as he flopped down on it.

“God, this is going to be such a bore…” He muttered after only finding one club that truly wasn’t good enough for his standards. And Genji really didn’t have high ones at this point.

“Oh, and don’t forget, you start school tomorrow.” Kazuo reminded him as he left. 

Genji groaned, arms dropping to his side as he threw his head back dramatically. He’d forgotten about that part. School was just a way to keep Genji in check, making sure he would be focused on his task rather than the city night life. 

The Shimada stared at the ceiling for a long time, pouting, before he finally sat up and went to go put his things away and maybe swim. May as well use his one day of relaxation to the fullest.

-

Genji wasn’t used to making his own breakfast. Sure, cereal didn’t really count—and honestly, what a shit breakfast too—but Genji was still pouring it into a bowl. Kazuo had forced him to go to the grocery store with him the previous day, and there hadn’t been much of a selection at the local super market. Genji was already missing the food he would normally get at home. 

It had been a struggle to get up, jet lag never being something Genji could conquer without at least sleeping an entire day. He looked cute, at least. Genji wasn’t about to let first impressions be anything but the best. All his clothes were designer, fitted just for him, since he didn’t actually own anything that wasn’t. 

He went for subtle but sexy with ripped black skinny jeans, a cropped tank top, and high-topped sneakers. His hair was perfectly styled and freshly dyed for his trip, just a bit of red eyeliner and gloss to tie everything together. Genji knew he looked good, but he almost fell asleep on the counter as he was eating his cereal. There wasn’t even a coffee shop around to give him a slap of caffeine to help.

“Genji, let’s go.” Kazuo called, voice holding a hint of irritation. 

Genji sat up quickly, startled by the sudden noise. He must have dozed off a bit.

“I’m coming!”

Genji wolfed down the last of his cereal and threw the bowl in the sink, grabbing his newly acquired backpack. It just had a few notebooks and pencils, enough to get by for the time he’d be staying. 

School was a must, but getting good grades? Not so much, especially since he would only be there for a month or two, tops. Shojiro had only paid the school to let him in, keep an eye out, and not ask any questions. 

Genji ran outside, meeting Kazuo in the car.

“Damn, it’s already hot out! How do people live here?” He huffed, sitting back in his seat and checking his phone. 

It was prime partying hours back in Japan, his social media alight with pictures of his friends and messages asking where he was. He replied to as many as he could on the ride, though, everything was kept vague. A family trip was the excuse, since the task itself was a secret.

“Wait out back when you get let out, I’ll be there.” Kazuo told him when they arrived at the school. 

Genji nodded, taking a look at the building. It was bigger than he expected, a mix of kids walking in the front doors. Genji qualified as a senior, though, he was turning nineteen in a couple of months. Definitely a little older than some of the kids he saw. They looked really tiny to him.

“Jeez, I still can’t believe I have to go here.” Genji grumbled as he left the car, shouldering his bag and walking in with everyone else. 

And everyone stared. Everyone. 

Genji smirked, looking over everyone’s faces, enjoying the attention. He liked when they quickly averted their gazes to the floor with blushes and whispered conversation to their friends. Going to the principal’s office came first; checking in and getting his schedule. All the mandated crap. 

Genji winked at a group of girls as he passed them, and they blushed and fussed with their hair. Maybe school wouldn’t be all bad.

-

Classes were boring as all hell, as usual. Genji was surprised at how relaxed America’s schooling system was. Then again, he had been home-schooled his whole life, so he didn’t have much to base levels of relaxation on. Schooling at home had been intense, and there was no way to hide a bad grade or ask for extra credit when it came to Sensei. 

Genji was thrown into the middle of what everyone called “spring semester”, but he caught on pretty quickly. He had also gotten more than enough numbers to start making friends. Everyone in the school was talking about him, and at lunch, his table was filled almost immediately. Genji liked the people so far, and it wasn’t as bad as he had expected. The teachers didn’t give him much work upon hearing his name, at least, up until his English class.

“Practice essays for your upcoming test on Friday! Everyone get out a pencil and some paper.” The teacher instructed. 

Her name was Ms. García, according to Genji’s schedule. He raised his hand as everyone around him shuffled around their bags.

“Yes, Genji, I know who you are, and yes, I still want you to get a paper and pencil out like the rest of us.” She told him matter-of-factly, arms crossing over his chest. 

Genji lowered his hand, lips pressing into a thin line as he followed her instructions reluctantly. The door suddenly opened, everyone’s heads turning to look, including Genji’s. And look he did. 

The guy that walked in had choppy brown hair pulled back from his face, freckles, a nice tan, and some really well fitting jeans and flannel. Really well fitting. Genji stared at him as he walked in quickly, sitting in the empty desk next to him. 

What an absolutely mouthwatering specimen.

“Jesse, it’s every time—”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m sorry. Got held up with Mr. Diaz, he sent you an email.”

Ms. García shook her head, waving her hand with a small smile.

“I really should get you in trouble more often.” She huffed, Jesse grinning and leaning back.

“Nah, l do enough of that on my own.”

“That you do. Paper and pencil, we’re writing an essay.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Genji narrowed his eyes and glanced at Jesse out of the corner of his eye. Jesse glanced back, then winked. The ninja bit his lip to try and hide his smile, though, he failed rather miserably. 

Maybe school wasn’t all bad, and maybe Genji had just gotten really lucky he had someone so hot in his English class.

-

Two weeks went by like a blur. Genji really had been missing out on the public school experience, and honestly, it was pretty much just like in the movies. All the gossip, the cliques, the sitting through class while staring at the minute hand on the clock moved agonizingly slow toward the next hour. 

Lunch hour was best, though. Genji got to sit with his new friends and chatter about everything and nothing, and it seemed like anything he had to say was exciting to these kids. It probably was, considering the size of the town they lived in. 

He had, of course, gotten Jesse’s number. Feigned needing help on essays because of his English every now and then to score an after school “tutoring” session. Not much tutoring ever went on, mostly just excitable banter and getting to know one another. And not only was Jesse hot, he had a personality that matched it. Genji was really, really liking him. 

The only thing Genji was not liking was how he seemed to get dust and sand in every crevice of his body and clothes. He had to shower every night, which certainly wasn’t good for his hair. But, life had not been completely centered around school. 

Genji had yakuza work to do as well, and about three nights a week, he was dressed in a suit making deals with faces tucked behind bandanas. Deadlock. They were a fierce group, motley as they were. Genji could see why his father liked doing business with them. 

Still under the radar in terms of status, loyal to their buyers because of this, and they had some really interesting supplies. Sometimes it was prototype weapons, others drugs and various enhancement substances that Genji had to wonder how they got their hands on. They had gotten him SEP enhancers. Top of the line, and should have been top secret. Genji had a crate of them hidden in the back shed behind the cottage. 

Tonight was not a night that Genji was working, however—and he certainly couldn’t wait until his father and Hanzo heard how good he was doing, the look on his brother’s face would be gold—instead he was scrolling on his phone, holoscreen TV playing idly in the background. 

A text popped up from Jesse. Genji grinned and immediately tapped on it.

‘Hey, sunshine. What say you and I have dinner and do a little stargazing sometime this week? ;)’

Genji tapped his foot as his fingers flew over the screen, biting his lip with a smirk. It was about time Jesse asked him out.

‘Oh, I’m not sure how busy I’ll be this week. (¬◡¬)✧ What day were you thinking??’

Genji waited as the little text bubble popped up, foot tapping quicker.

‘How’s the day after tomorrow sound? I got a little bit of work tomorrow, but after that, I’m all yours, darlin’.’

A giggle bubbled up at the pet name, how he even accented it through the text. Jesse was such a dork, and Genji didn’t realize just how much he would love it.

‘What a coincidence, me too. That sounds good then! See you Wednesday, cowboy <3’

‘Looking forward to it.’

Genji set his phone down and launched himself off the couch with a continual sound of excitement, padding quickly over the tile floors to get to his bedroom to pick out an outfit. 

All he had to do was get through tomorrow, then his date day—and that cowboy ass—was all his.

-

Genji’s arms were crossed, fingers tapping on his forearm impatiently. He checked his watch, then sighed. He was hot, the dress shirt was stuffy, and Deadlock was seven minutes late. Genji understood being fashionably late, but he was getting pissed off. They had chosen an old warehouse quite a ways from even the small town to do their trade in, accomplices of the Shimada clan having flown in for extra protection to Genji seeming to share his irritation. 

There was no air conditioning, the sun was filtering through holes in the ceiling in sweltering patches, and Deadlock was late. 

The clicking of heels came two minutes later, Genji not moving from where he was leaned against the wall. His eyes narrowed like a cat that had just caught sight of its prey, contrasting to the silky smile that wove its way up his lips.

“Ah, Elizabeth! Good of you to finally show up! I was thinking you had forgotten about our little deal here.” Genji called pleasantly as a group of Deadlock members stepped into view, guns held passively. 

Most of them had bandanas covering their faces and obnoxious hats. Lots of torn leather jackets, chains, oil stains, and old jeans. There was a rather large omnic just behind the gang leader, and man at her side with only one arm of his jacket ripped to show off the tattoo on his forearm. He seemed kind of stiff, anxious. A bad sign. 

Nevertheless, Genji pushed himself off the wall and walked over to Ashe.

“Now now, no need to get antsy. Some of this stuff just takes a little longer to get here.” She told him, a deep drawl accenting her voice. 

Genji didn’t like it. It made her sound like she was teasing, cocky, used to getting her way. Maybe she was. But, so was he.

“And for the record, it’s Ashe.”

Genji accepted the gloved hand outstretched to him, a slight crease in Ashe’s brow giving away her annoyance at his barb. Genji simply smiled coldly at her. They shook, then Ashe motioned to her gang, Genji watching as a crate placed on a hovercraft came to rest just behind her.

“I got your goods, now show me mine.” She demanded, head tilting to the side, eyes narrowing. 

Genji glanced over the group of gang members once again, then held up his hand, two fingers moving in a quick motion. Kazuo slid a credit reader into his hand, the little device shining a ridiculously large number at him. He flipped it over and held it up for Ashe, raising a brow as she sneered.

“That’s all you’re givin’ me? A silly little credit chip for all the shit I got you?”

“The deal was twenty million credits, and this is how you’ll get them.” Genji shrugged. 

Ashe set her jaw, the man behind her shifting slightly. Genji’s eyes darted to him, assessing, daring him to move again. He stared back at Genji for a moment, then looked down. That guy was the only one acting suspicious, as far as Genji could tell, so he went back to focusing on the deal at hand.

“Do you know how long it took me to get this here? There’s new types of ammo in there, specialized, never before seen on the market!”

“I know, which is why I am paying so much for such a small shipment of it. You have my word it’s all here.” Genji told her, just a slight tease to his voice. 

He knew he held all the strings in this deal, knew all he had to do was tug a few to make his puppets dance. Ashe would take the deal, or she would be left with no better buyer.

“Oh, and I can just trust your word, huh, yakuza?” Ashe hissed, raising to the bait. 

Genji smiled and shrugged again.

“Take it or leave it. I’m tired of waiting around in this place.”

There was silence for a prolonged moment, Ashe’s eyes narrowing and fingers tightening over the barrel of her rifle. Genji slipped his hand into his pocket, gripping the throwing knife he had hidden there as he waited.

“Get that lyin’ brat, boys.” Ashe ordered, Genji smirking as he ducked under the first shots fired his way. 

At least she was making this fun. That, and Genji had been provoking her. He guessed this was probably deserved. 

Genji threw his knife—heard it connect satisfyingly with the weapon he had been aiming for as it clattered to the ground—and immediately ducked behind an old pile of crates for cover. His guards swarmed around him, giving sharp commands in quick, clipped Japanese. 

Genji glanced out from behind the crate, looking for Ashe. She was spontaneous and rash, sure, but he was confident once she put the rifle down, they could still make a deal. If she ever put the damn rifle down. 

A shot went past his ear—dangerously close—and Genji threw another knife. He heard a shout, then took his chance. His wakazashi was out of its sheath in a blink, and he was behind the enemy’s cover in another. A kick was thrown at Ashe’s head as she turned to look at him, eyes widening.

“I’m still willing to make a deal, you know!” Genji told her as she growled and spat blood. 

Ashe slammed the butt of her rifle against Genji’s shoulder, at too much of a positional disadvantage to do any more damage than that.

“Fuck off! B.O.B, do somethin’!”

“You won’t get a better price, I guarantee it!”

Genji ducked beneath a punch, then felt a rather large hand grab his shirt and pull him off of the gang leader. Was Bob really the giant omnic’s name? He was thrown into the dwindling group of the Deadlock thugs, hitting someone else and taking them both to the ground with a grunt. 

Genji smacked a hand against the man’s face, then looked down at him with a snarl. It was the nervous man from behind Ashe. He tried to push Genji off him, grappled with him a bit, Genji not letting him get away. If he was going to lose this deal, he wasn’t going to lose it alone.

“Stay down and I won’t slit your throat!” He hissed, not even realizing he had lost his wakizashi when he had been thrown until now. 

The man stilled, a crease in his brow as he glanced down at Genji’s empty hands pressed against his throat, then back up, noticing the same thing.

“You—”

“Shut up, I’m still in a position to strangle you if I wanted.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

Genji frowned. He recognized that voice, those eyes darting back and forth between the retreating gang and the yakuza guards running towards the Shimada. 

Genji impulsively ripped the bandana down, eyes widening when Jesse stared back up at him, panic dancing over his features. Their gaze didn’t break, even as Genji stood slowly, Jesse scrambling up.

“McCree, come on!” Ashe shouted. 

Jesse hesitated, looking between Genji and Ashe. His chest rose and fell quickly as he backed up, running after his gang. Genji held up a hand when his guards tried to chase him, eyes narrowing.

“Leave him.”

“Sir—”

“I said. Leave him.” Genji growled, turning on his heel and snatching up his wakazashi. He sheathed it forcefully, brow low and eyes dark as he stalked out of the warehouse.

-

They didn’t talk for weeks. Genji avoided Jesse as much as he could, though, school made it difficult. He skipped English class and ate lunch in the bathrooms. It wasn’t even that he was angry with Jesse or that he didn’t want to see him. It was just…Awkward. 

Jesse being apart of Deadlock didn’t surprise him, not really. Everyone had secrets. And Jesse had seen the secret side of Genji that he wasn’t exactly proud of having. He had threatened to kill him, had been poised and ready to strike him dead. Had been willing to. Genji wasn’t proud of that, never would be. Facing Jesse now seemed impossible. 

Genji walked to the back of the school to be picked up by Kazuo as usual, head down and hands on his backpack straps. No one ever really went out the back, so when he heard footsteps behind him, Genji frowned.

“Gen, wait!”

The Shimada turned, eyes widening as he saw Jesse making his way over. He broke out into a run, scrambling around a corner and trying to make it to the back courtyard where Kazuo would be.

“Hey! Genji, wait a sec!!”

Louder footsteps, running after him, a hand wrapping around his arm.

“Jesse—!”

Said man stepped in front of Genji, effectively blocking his path.“

Please, just hear me out! And after that, you don’t ever have to talk to me again, okay? Just…Please.” Jesse urged, both hands gripping Genji’s biceps gently. 

His eyes were wide, brows furrowed; he looked like a sad puppy. Genji pursed his lips, gaze drifting to the side, but he stilled his struggles.

“Listen, I…What happened, I get it if you hate me for it. I know being apart of, you know, a gang like that is…I-I don’t know. But, what happened then doesn’t change how I feel about you now. Different parts of us just had a bad run in, that’s all.”

“This probably doesn’t even make any sense, but what I’m tryin’ to say is that I still like you. And if you don’t like me, that’s fine too. I get it. I’m sorry for everythin’ that happened, though. I at least want you to know that.”

Genji stared at Jesse, watched him struggle for more words before he simply sighed and let him go. He took his hands as they slipped back down to his sides.

“Jesse, I don’t think badly of you for this. I just thought you’d…I don’t know. Not like me? Since we fought and…I just assumed that you wouldn’t want to see me again because of who…Who you saw.” Genji murmured, biting his lip as he looked away.

“Aw, hon. I know that wasn’t you.”

“But it was. I need you to understand that. That’s what I do for a living. I have to be that person, it’s my duty!”

Jesse squeezed his hands, dipping his head slightly to meet Genji’s eyes better. His gaze reluctantly slipped to the cowboy’s, surprised to find only warmth there.

“I’ve been around you long enough to know who you really are, Gen. I know what it’s like to live a double life like this, and I know that who you are with them isn’t always you. I get it. And I know who you really are, and what you do. I accept it.”

Genji blinked quickly, brows furrowed. Jesse took a breath, a small smile quirking his lips up.

“So…If you still want to, I hear Saturday is going to have clear skies. It’d be a good night to go stargazing.”

A laugh left Genji as he nodded, pulling Jesse into a hug.

“Yeah. Yeah, Saturday sounds good.” He whispered against Jesse’s shoulder, the cowboy squeezing him tightly.

“Good.”

“And for the record, I accept you too, Jess.”

Jesse grinned, eyes dipping to Genji’s lips a split second before he was kissed. Short and sweet, but it still left him breathless.

“See you Saturday, darlin’.” Jesse murmured, their noses brushing before he pulled away and went down the hall. 

Genji stared after him, his own smile hardly contained.

“See you Saturday.”

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is OverwatchWorks, there are many more McGenji and other fics there! :) Thank you for reading!


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